Indonesian opposition leader Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri blamed President Habibie for holding a vote on independence for East Timor in a climate of political uncertainty and opening the door to disaster.
Ms Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, and tipped to be the next president, said she had repeatedly warned about the dangers of holding a referendum at this time and advised staging it later. "My proposal was to hold off on the referendum until we had a change in government, a new parliament and a stable and legitimate national leadership," she said in an essay in the latest edition of Newsweek International released yesterday.
"No one listened," she said, adding: "Now my worst fears about East Timor have come true."
Indonesia's international reputation had "suffered terribly as a result of the human tragedy in East Timor . . . now the whole Indonesian people have been dragged unfairly into the mess. As an Indonesian citizen, I am saddened, concerned and ashamed."